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Elizabeth Forman . . . “We do end up hiring a lot of folks who do clinicals here.”

Elizabeth Sanders

Wisconsin lawmakers took a big step toward addressing the state's nursing shortage this week with committee approval of a funding proposal to expand nursing education in Wisconsin.

The University of Wisconsin has requested $3.1 million in funding to expand its nursing education programs, which would increase the potential number of nursing students and nursing faculty. One of the hindrances to getting more nurses into the job market has been a lack of space in nursing schools, clinical space for training and faculty to teach the students, said Roberta Gassman, secretary for the Department of Workforce Development.

The funding proposal was approved by the Wisconsin Joint Finance Committee June 5 as part of a broader funding package sought by the University of Wisconsin System. UW is seeking a "growth initiative" package worth $21.4 million in general purpose revenue and $7.9 million in program revenue for 16 initiatives in the UW system. The funding still has to be approved by the full Legislature and signed by Gov. Jim Doyle.

Statewide impact

The 2008-09 budget would allow for off-site nursing education and training programs through UW's Eau Claire, Oshkosh, Green Bay and Milwaukee campuses to expand to reach areas of the state that have no nursing schools; develop accelerated programs at UW-Eau Claire and UW-Madison to serve students with a bachelor's degree in non-nursing fields; and expand the capacity of graduate programs at Oshkosh, Milwaukee and Madison campuses to address a shortage of nursing school faculty and clinical instructors.

The UW funding is just one step toward increasing support for education in the health care industry, said Gassman, whose department recently released a report outlining the state's health care work force needs.

The Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development's second Wisconsin Health Care Workforce Annual Report said that by the end of 2014, the state will need 26,110 more registered nurses, with a total of 38,000 new health care jobs. Other fast-growing areas in health care in the state are home health aides, nursing aides and attendants, medical and dental assistants, and dental hygienists.

Of the occupations with the most openings, several require short-term or moderate on-the-job training, such as nursing aides, home health aides, medical assistants, dental assistants, pharmacy technicians and health care support workers. Such positions have an average annual salary ranging from $20,162 to $28,602, the department's report said.

State is growing old

The health care work force issue is a growing concern in Wisconsin, where the state's overall population is aging faster than in many other states. By 2020, one in six state residents will be 65 years old or older, and one of every five residents by 2030. As a result, the demand for health care services will increase.

Retirement of members of the baby-boom generation work force and the fast-pace change in health care technology also are factors behind the need for more health care workers, the report said.

One way hospitals and health care organizations can help address the work force issue is to provide hiring expectations and needs to the department so that it can create a more accurate expectation for the future, Gassman said.

The department also plans to communicate more with parents, counselors and high school students to inform them of health care career opportunities, she said.

Area health care systems are trying to recruit and retain nurses through a variety of educational assistance, flexible schedules and workplace culture.

For example, Froedtert & Community Health, Wauwatosa, is using its status as a teaching hospital to recruit new employees and is encouraging students in clinical training to accept positions on campus when they complete their education.

Froedtert had 400 medical students, 650 nursing students and 350 allied health students on campus in 2006, said Elizabeth Forman, vice president of human resources. The hospital also has its own radiology technologist school and has students who do respiratory therapy work at the hospital.

"We do end up hiring a lot of folks who do clinicals here," she said.

Flexible schedules

Froedtert's nursing turnover rate of 7.5 percent is below the national rate of 14 percent. Forman attributes these numbers to the 7/70 program, a scheduling option for some nurses. The nurses work seven days in a row for 10 hours each and then have seven days off, which allows a nontraditional schedule and helps patients to have continuity of care.

Staying flexible is a way to retain nurses now and in the future, Forman said. With the average nurse in her or his mid-40s, retirement is not far off for some and Forman said Froedtert is working to retain its skill and clinical knowledge.

The hospital also is taking steps to rebuild the population of people who teach nursing by participating in a grant program from the U.S. Department of Labor and state of Wisconsin to put nurses on a fast track toward earning graduate degrees that allow them to become clinical instructors and nursing school faculty. The program will start in fall 2007.

Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare, Glendale, also boasts a lower turnover than the national average at 12.5 percent, which can be attributed to the opportunities that health care workers, especially nurses, have in moving around the system, said David Smith, senior vice president of human resources and organizational development for Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare.

"A lot of nurses leave our work force or the hospital work force to find a different work setting," he said. "We have a variety of work settings that we can be flexible with. They can have a full career and still change their kind of job or their kind of work several times."

The health care system is looking to hire about 1,700 employees, including 350 registered nurses, throughout its Wisconsin sites in the next year. Some of the new positions will staff Wheaton's campus in Franklin, expected to open in fall 2008, he said.

Some of the harder to fill jobs right now are registered nurses, pharmacists and physical therapists, Smith said.

WISCONSIN OUTLOOK

The top 10 occupations with the largest growth percentage (2002-2014).

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